Sports Briefs

January 30, 2008

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Spotlight Radio Show this week will feature an interview with Northern State wrestling coach Pat Timm. Timm talks about his team, his program and NSU's recent wins over Division I South Dakota State and conference foe and nationally ranked Moorhead. The discussion also focused on the 1-0 starts in the league by NSU and Upper Iowa and NSU senior Todd Naasz being named NSIC wrestler of the week. The show airs at 11 a.m. each Saturday on Hub City Radio KSDN-930 AM. Or it can be heard at http://northernsun.org/ radio/NSIC_WEEK15_29 Jan08.wma. Basketball: UMAC honors PC players Two Presentation College basketball players were named players of the week by the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Men's basketball player Richie Ward and women's basketball player Chelsea Brandlee are both sophomore forwards who were chosen as the UMAC players of the week. Ward recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season on Friday in a win over conference leader Northwestern (Minn.) College. He followed that up on Saturday with 15 points and six rebounds as the Saints defeated Crown College. Ward averages 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season. The Presentation College women's team also won twice during the weekend home stand and extended its winning streak to eight games. Brandlee scored 19 points on Friday against Northwestern with 12 of her points coming in a 29-5 run in the last 14 minutes of the first half. On Saturday, she recorded a career high of 30 points connecting on 14 of 20 field goal attempts. Brandlee is averaging 16.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The Saints hit the road for a pair of UMAC games this weekend. Presentation plays at Crown College on Friday with the women at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Saints take on Northwestern with the women's game at 3 p.m. and the men to follow at 5 p.m. Auto racing: Aberdeen drivers earn awards Aberdeen racing veterans Curt Gelling and Kent Arment and their teams were honored recently in Watertown at the 2007 Casino Speedway awards banquet. The duo and their teams were track champions (Gelling in Late Models and Arment in Modifieds). Gelling also won the Albert DeVille Memorial Award while the Late Model pit crew of the year award went to Arment's team. Fundraiser: NSU, Culver's join forces The Northern State University Student Athlete Advisory Council is teaming up with Culver's in Aberdeen to help raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Council members will be holding a fundraiser at the Northern State basketball games against Wayne State this Friday (women at 6 p.m.; men at 8 p.m.). To raise money, NSU athletes will be selling T-shirts and Culver's ice cream to benefit NCAA Division II's contribution to Make-A-Wish. The NCAA Division II has helped to raise more than a half million dollars for Make-A-Wish in the past five years. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children with life-threatening diseases. TV: High Super Bowl ratings expected The undefeated New England Patriots aren't taking the only shot at history this weekend. There's a strong chance that this could be the most-watched Super Bowl ever. The record Fox will be shooting for is the 94.08 million viewers who watched the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in January 1996, according to Nielsen Media Research. Last year's victory by the Indianapolis Colts came closest with 93.2 million. The biggest draw is the Patriots themselves, as they attempt to become the first undefeated NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins - and secure near-unanimous acclaim as the best pro football team ever. ''This has a very good chance,'' said Brad Adgate, research chief for the Madison Avenue firm Horizon Media.